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Interlocks allow for upper class cohesion, coordinated action, and unified political-economic power[3]. They allow corporations to increase their influence by exerting power as a group, and to work together towards common goals.[4] They help the upper class maintain a class advantage, and gain more power over workers and consumers, by reducing intra-class competition and increasing cooperation.[2][5] In the words of Scott R. Bowman, interlocks "facilitate a community of interest among the elite of the corporate world that supplants the competitive and socially divisive ethos of an earlier stage of capitalism with an ethic of cooperation and a sense of shared values and goals."[6]

"Corporatism" for short. Government leaders and Corporate leaders working together. (whispers) It's also what Mussolini created in his country. (normal voice). Anyway this comes as no surprise to me. Democrats are just like Republicans, but instead of military they work with Hollywood, recording studios, and celebrities.

Democrats have sold-out to the Authors Guild, SAG, MPAA, and RIAA.

And this is why I feel no guilt taking product from these corporations. They bought special privileges from government that they don't deserve to get, rarely pay any taxes on their profit ("what profit? Avatar lost money"), screw the writers/actors that work for them by not paying residuals, and eat-out at the substance of our citizens in onerous life-destroying lawsuits. If they produce a DVD or CD that's good, I'll buy it, but I feel no qualms about downloading everything else for free.

If it were up to me, every corporate license would be immediately revoked. Let them operate as regular companies without the immunity (aka golden parachutes) afforded by limited liability.

What I want to know is this: At what point, exactly, did it become lawful for all of the largest corporations of an industry to organize in their collective best interests? How is it that Anti-Trust laws don't take organizations such as the MPAA and RIAA into account? Is it not a tenant of Capitalism, that entities offering the same type of product in an industry are meant to compete with one another, rather than band together to bully their consumer base into making purchases they might not otherwise?

Your Analytica is alright, but it seems neither did you meditate very much on Categoriae I, where homonymy is defined (which can be forgiven, as things are not so concrete there), nor have you reached De Sophisticis Elenchis where its sophistical use is described (which cannot be forgiven as you should know your entire Organon before you employ any part of it.)

At what point, exactly, did it become lawful for all of the largest corporations of an industry to organize in their collective best interests

At the same time the democracy became merely formal, and not real. We have a democracy mostly as a formality. The campaign, elections, and changes in government are carried out. Nobody cares because the results matter little, change little. The parties, candidates, proposals and the policies are fixed outside of elections, in various channels. Real decisions, of things that matter, are made in these various "associations", some publicly known, some secretive, some open meetings that are limited or manipulated, some closed meetings, and so on. The more you want real democratic decisions in a merely formal democracy, the more you will find yourself being pushed towards the side of powerless, parallel, unofficial, or underground organizations. There is really only one principle - whatever the goal, to get real democracy, you *must* get millions of participants. Otherwise you have some small, formal or unrepresentative group. If we'd have a "day of copyright rage", getting millions of civil-disobedience copyright-breakers in public squares, with (logically) police trying to break them up, we'd get real policy debate.

What a bunch of conspiracy theory nonsense. 'Parties and candidates fixed outside of elections in various channels'? You mean channels like primaries, which in 2010 were so contentious that we got goofballs like O'Donnell in Delaware despite what the power-brokers in DC wanted?

We have the largest anti-incumbent wave in the United States in recent history. To say 'nobody cares' and that 'results don't matter' just shows ignorance.

Chris Dodd is one of many old-school politicians (and both sides of the aisle h

'Parties and candidates fixed outside of elections in various channels'? You mean channels like primaries

The MPAA manipulates its co-owned news media [pineight.com] to keep candidates proposing real change out of U.S. primary voters' mind. Look at how Ron Paul wasn't given much of a chance to speak even in those 2008 presidential debates to which he was invited. He ended up mathematically eliminated from the race before the primaries even got to my state.

And the MPAA would likewise see any candidate for the House or Senate proposing a return to a sane copyright term as a looney. For one thing, a sane copyright term would involve pulling out of the World Trade Organization, as WTO requires TRIPS, and TRIPS requires Berne, and Berne requires life+50.

And the MPAA would likewise see any candidate for the House or Senate proposing a return to a sane copyright term as a looney. For one thing, a sane copyright term would involve pulling out of the World Trade Organization, as WTO requires TRIPS, and TRIPS requires Berne, and Berne requires life+50.

Great! A whole society just got strong motive to combat copyright with renewed enthusiasm. Many people thought they were just fighting for free movies and music... but when they find out they are actually protesting the WTO and their unfair laws, both passively and actively, they will be much more inspired!

You're proving him with your own counter examples. What exactly do you expect O'Donnell to do? Nothing that really matters, that's what. We have the largest anti-incumbent wave in recent US history today. Is anything important going to change? No!

One word - HBGary. I think the fact that there are dozens of government spy groups doing what is now clearly proven by the HBGary leaks is a great demonstration of the "paper democracy" system we all are fooled to believe in. Sabotage, espionage, public opinion manipulation, lies and deceit are all integral and, worse, fully accepted and primordial parts of the current political system. Informed, knowledgeable, open, fair and vigorous debate on real issues, are now the equivalent of naive, foolish, utopian, sidelined idealists. If you neutrally compare the "debate" of left-vs-right common-man activists, you will find many common complaints, although they fight each other like mortal enemies. They both claim control of the wealthy elites, and abuse of the common people, manipulation by the media, favor of corporations, and they are both saying the truth there. They are only mistaken in their belief that the other side is responsible, while they don't actually combat their stated foe - the wealthy, controlling elites, the 1% who own 90% of everything, who are actively funding their confusion, fanning their flames toward each other. Standard divide and conquer, the old British rulers passed the manipulation skills to the new American rulers, the same as the old rulers.

People in western-aligned countries feel inspired by Egypt, by rebelling. They feel oppressed too, but they don't know where or who to rebel against. It's simple, the rulers everywhere have big outdoor signs with fake faces, fake logos, fake slogans - propaganda. They lie to people, have them work for little, and give them false dreams and trash in return. Some rule with guns, some rule with lies, but the result is the same. People are used. Their life feels empty. Future prospects of real change seem small. Eating from garbage or colorful paper McDonalds food changes nothing important in your hopes and aspirations. Some feel trapped by the body, some feel trapped by the mind. All are trapped and used. We are ruled by money, guns, and lies, whether hidden or visible, pretty or ugly, manipulative or grotesque.

Hey hey hey now. What's your problem with Barney Frank? The guy is a goddamn hero as far as I'm concerned, one of the very few politicians who speaks his mind and has thoughtful discourse with constituents. He actually went to town hall meetings with the healthcare proposal in hand and answered very specific questions by consulting the text directly. Brilliant, decent guy.

If we'd have a "day of copyright rage", getting millions of civil-disobedience copyright-breakers in public squares, with (logically) police trying to break them up, we'd get real policy debate.

Fucking right. A mass protest in this circumstance is to have a letter signed by people across the country which states that on such-and-such a day everyone will pirate some specific piece of media. I would suggest the oldest movie available that is still under copyright. My source at the venerable and precise Answers.com suggests (URL below):

"Anything from a movie prior to 1923 or prior to 1964 and not properly renewed is in the public domain and can be used freely, without copyright restriction. Most othe

Nah; the democratic aspect isn't relevant. The root problem is that we have a government that has the power to control our economy; they will inevitably use that power, and it will be used to enrich and entrench themselves. Our politicians are corrupt, and we should recognize that fact, and only give them power over the narrowest of domains. Corporations bride our leaders to give them favors and punish their competition because our leaders have the ability to dispense favors and penalties at will. That power should be removed from them.

Well said. The first place to start would be to remove the Federal Government's ability to collect and levy income taxes by abolishing both the IRS and the 16th Amendment to the Constitution. Also:

- Adopt a new amendment that states that the government may not spend more than 10% of the previous year's GDP in each annual budget, and outlaw deficit spending except in times of formally declared war.

- Eliminate Social Security entirely (paying out for those already retired by 2010 but no others) and restrict Medicare and Medicaid payments to only the developmentally disabled (Autism, Downs, etc.).

- Slash and burn as many federal agencies as possible, keeping the U.S. Marshall's office for internal law enforcement and a much reduced CIA for our external interests. Most of the others should go, perhaps keeping the FAA and FCC, but reducing them to an "Enforcement Only" level.

- Outlaw any regulation or spending except that first approved by a 2/3rds majority of Congress

- Pass a limit on pensions for all federal positions. No more serving one term and being paid for life.

- Pass a Term Limits amendment for ALL elected federal positions of no more than two terms. No more Congressional "Lifers".

Lastly, pass an Amendment that automatically sunsets all federal taxes of all kinds yearly. This is to force each Congress to review and update the tax code every single year. (Keep the politicians busy doing real work and they won't have time to dream up ways to enslave us.)

Once we have a handle on the spending beast, and have dis-empowered it by removing it's ability to dip into our wallets, and by removing life-term politicians then power will naturally migrate away from the federal government. What's the point in buying a politician if he can't manipulate the market for you?

If the RIAA and MPAA became outlawed "cartels" by Congress, then so too would other legit organizations like IEEE, ASME, ISO, the Underwriters Laboratory, and so on. (Also such an act would probably violate the first amendment right to assembly.)

Note the forming a cartel is still illegal. It's why the record companies were sued ~10 years ago - for price fixing of CDs, restriction of trade, and forced to issue refunds back to customers (I and other family members received ~$20 checks).

At the point that our Congressmen started being run by lobbyists. This is a perfect example. My question is "when was Dodd promised this position in exchange for favors?" He's probably been in the back pocket of the MPAA for awhile now, is my guess. I think a lot of Congressmen are, too. Lobbyists and corrupt Congressmen are just the West's version of a totalitarian regime. How long will it take for the US people to take note of Tunisia and Egypt?

Actually I give us another 10 years tops before we reenact what is happening in Egypt and the rich either find a way to pull a tiananmen square or do their own reenactment of the fall of Saigon.

For a look at how badly the government has worked against the people you might want read this [businessinsider.com] but I warn you it ain't a pretty picture. The numbers simply aren't sustainable, and never in our history has the gap between the rich and the poor been so wide. What is the answer our great leaders give us? "Get more educat

The supreme court has said that it is not possible to be a cartel or monopoly in the entertainment business because customers can always switch to another form of entertainment.

This may not be the case for much longer, considering the convergence of the corporations behind all major commercial forms of entertainment.

You already have movies on your television, political commentary/discussion on your radio, and books which either narrate existing movies, or become movies. Video games come out based on movies or books now, and vice-versa. songs are written specifically for movies, and movies almost always come out with a soundtrack CD. Everyone has their sticky little fingers in the

Nine tenths of the law is enforcement. The choice to not enforce the law for your "buddies" is perfectly legal. A DA can and does choose who and who not to charge with a crime. This principal can be applied at any level.

I can understand ceasing to buy their media in the future, but why must you stop downloading it, too? You're not giving them any money, and in almost all cases, they don't even know you exist.

For the same reason that piracy frequently promotes sales rather than reduces them - the network effect. Even if you don't buy, if you like it and you talk about liking it, you've increased the chances that someone you've talked to, or that they've talked to, etc, will buy.

Also, if you boycott the bad guys, you are more likely to fill the void with products from the good guys. Its not just about tearing down the bad guys, its about building up the good guys.

"Also, if you boycott the bad guys, you are more likely to fill the void with products from the good guys. Its not just about tearing down the bad guys, its about building up the good guys."

Does not work. build up the good guys, and they junp to the bad guys side the second the bad guys offer them a pile of money. Want examples? Metallica, Green Day, Ramones, etc....

They were all anti-establishment and against the RIAA and their evil practices until a big pile of money was shoved at them. Suddently you have lars wiggling his uneducated mouth all over the place whining about piracy, something they ENCOURAGED when they were a real band, I have several tapes of their early performances that were what CREATED Them.

Counter-examples? Johnathan Coulton, Cory Doctorow, for two. "Does not work" is not right, although perhaps a higher-quality product is needed for success than with traditional media outlets who own your soul...

Sick and tired of people acting like boycotting does anything useful these days. Boycott something, then they'll run to DC and claim they're too big to fail, or too important to national security. Instead of making a profit off you payment for services/goods they make a profit off your tax dollars.

You make an excellent point. However, the problem isn't that boycotts don't work, it's that people don't know what makes one work, and consequently, they fail.

A boycott is a strategy, and like any strategy, it doesn't work without preparation and organization. You can't just decide that you are Gandhi or Martin Luther King, Jr. and declare one and expect it to just work. Those two individuals were the spearhead and inspiration at the head of organizations that could work to carry their message to the rig

Sheesh, I'm tired of people having a problem with small acts growing up. In the mind of people like you, are they ironically too good to become successful?May not be hardcore anymore, but they're still good rock bands (we seem to just be talking a matter of personal preference.)Never got the hate for American Idiot anyway, although 21st Century Breakdown was a bit of a dud.

Even if someone talks trash about torrents or has other negative traits not related to their work, I can still like the work itself.

In music: How do I boycott the bad guys when grocery stores pay to play the bad guys' music over their speaker systems? How do I convince people to boycott the bad guys when FM radio plays only the bad guys' music and Internet radio would cost a lot of people $60 per month to upgrade their phones?

In TV series, feature films, and video games: Who are the good guys? Or did you mean boycott these media entirely and <hyperbole>join the Amish</hyperbole>?

It's worth noting that "corporatism" is nothing but an attempt to clear out the heavy legacy that comes with the actual (and factual) name that was associated with that economic system.

Fascism. It's exactly what Mussolini installed in Italy, and what Hitler tried (and partially succeeded) to install in Germany. It's quite close to what we have now in US and several Western European countries.

Well, AC, you almost get it. No government can "give you everything you want". You pay for everything you get from the government, and since government is the most inefficient organization around you pay through the nose for anything you get from it. And, any government big enough to do all of that to you is big enough to control every aspect of your life.

Big government, government that claims to give you things, is the most deceitful and corrupt organization there is. The question is, when will/.ers r

Surely you can't be claiming that your good government is wrong when they spend $1/2 Billion on custom computer solutions that are better done by OTS that would have cost 5% of that and not had to be scrapped as failed projects.

Why certainly it should take a full day to install a few printers in a congressional office - after all, nobody needs to know where they're going or actually figure out how they need to be configured BEFORE the actual install.

You do know that in the US before about 1870 all Corporate charters were for limited times and in the public interest, right?

And that as late as the 1990's some of the big Wall Street investment houses were organized as Partnerships?

Yes, it means the owners have to pay attention and not have their employees do stupid or illegal stuff. Oh, the horror. Quarter-to-quarter thinking is a result of being a public company and creating false value through the public markets.

Did you know that before 1913, corporations weren't directly taxed? So if we go back to your limited charters, we eliminate the corporate income tax too. Sounds like a nice compromise.

I think they recognized back then that using the corporations as a shell to raise additional hidden taxes (always passed through in prices) was deceptive. OK, recognized it and felt it was wrong to do so. But that was the Congress that passed the Federal Reserve Act, so I can't feign surprise.

The Revolving Door is always bad. It's a major tool for vested interests to bribe law makers and regulators to be nice to them. Play nice while you're in office and you get a lucrative gig afterwards. This is why Wall St. isn't in jail, because SEC regulators know they will get million dollar jobs later on. It's why Europe's regulators kowtow to large foreign businesses, over the heads of the economic majority of small-to-medium European firms, because it's how they get lucrative consultancy work afterwards.

So it's bad, yes. Even if this particular appointment isn't worse than any other, it's the signal it sends. "$1.2 per year, be nice and you too could get this".

The Revolving Door is always bad. It's a major tool for vested interests to bribe law makers and regulators to be nice to them. Play nice while you're in office and you get a lucrative gig afterwards.

In Japan this is know as "descent from heaven" and was a systemic problem for decades. This is why term limits are a Bad Idea: tempory politicians are much easier to buy off with a lifetime reward than lifetime politicians are with a temporary reward.

I'm not going to argue the point about term limits, and I agree that people moving from elected office to high paying industry positions is a problem. However, it's only fair to point out that Dodd was a U.S. Senator, and Senators don't have term limits.

Bad. Chris "Countrywide" Dodd was one of the most corrupt members of the Senate, which is why he quit rather than be defeated last November. He took sweetheart loan deals from Countrywide in exchange for NOT regulating their out of control bogus mortgages, helping create the housing bubble which led to the Great Recession.

But then I guess a corrupt cartel like the MPAA needs someone who knows corruption to lead it.

You don't get to lead one of the largest organized bullying organizations ever to exist by being a nice guy. What's his history as a senator? Is he loudly outspoken against teh evuls of piracy? Did the MPAA cut him a big campaign contributions check?

Yeah, the bit about stalling a bill that retroactively gives the OK on ISPs who warrantlessly wiretap is good, but we can't go off of just that. There is always a catch with these sorts of appointments, so let's have the dirt, please.

He was one of the ones that created the rules leading to the collapse of the housing market. THEN he came in and began making the rules to FIX the housing market, blaming the problem on someone else.I say he's a perfect fit at the MPAA.

I didn't know he created the deregulation of the derivatives market for mortgage securities (which is what cause the collapse - otherwise it was just an annoying bubble). Or are you simply trolling that he supported the gov't sponsorship of mortgages?

he was the main advocate of Fannie and Freddie in Congress (number one recipient in Congress of campaign funds from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac) and to the end he claimed that everything is peachy and downplayed the problems. It's really hard to find someone more corrupt.You may know or not know but FM&FM was one of biggest enablers of the bubble.

I was a private ("Public") school, old money, old boys' club cunt. In England, that's pretty much necessary and sufficient.

But I hated it and have told pretty much everyone I've known over the years in that environment to go fuck themselves, implicitly or explicitly. So I guess I'm in the same boat as everyone else now. I feel human for it, though. I sometimes lie awake at night wondering whether that counts for anything, but the fact that I'm still alive suggests that some part of me must think it does.

By and by, Chris Dodd was a pretty good Senator. He was good friends with Ted Kennedy but worked with both sides of the aisle. His stands on technology [ontheissues.org] generally opposed mega-conglomerations and proposed net nuetrality legislation. In other words, from what I know about the guy, I'd say he's a friend of "our side".

What he's doing heading the MPAA, I have no idea. Then again, Jack Valenti worked in the Johnson administration. He established the completely asinine ratings system and fought to make video recording at home illegal. I think Dodd is way more clueful than Valenti was-- although at least Valenti was able to keep the government out of censoring films, which it was threatening to do at the time...

that all elected positions in Washington required Corporate sponsorship.

Dodd is just as rotten as the rest but what most people overlook is that even some saintly looking ones get plum jobs for their spouses which tends to influence regulations just as much if not more so.

"Interim CEO and president Bob Pisano says the organization's unwavering focus on its top priority will remain: increasing the federal government's efforts to stop online film piracy"

Makes me feel good about getting a flick for a buck at red Box and doing a quickie rip. I didn't used to be this way, I thought five bucks for an older DVD was a good buy, but add the general assholeishness of the MPAA as stated above to that inane FBI warning I have to sit through before the movie starts (anyone else find it ironic that, in the very opposite paradigm of shareware, you get nagged if you pay for it?), and I'm a renter-and-ripper now.

"that inane FBI warning I have to sit through before the movie starts"

This was the first thing that *really* turned me on to HandBrake -- I rent a dvd from netflix and I have no choice over which portions of the disk will be played for me? Really?? There must be another option... Oh, look, shiny happy freedom-of-speech software! Take that, corporate-government directorate!

Sure i like previews, but I hate that someone somewhere thought they could *force* me to watch them. You know when the disk has a smudg

Judicial Watch, the public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption, today released its 2009 list of Washington's "Ten Most Wanted Corrupt Politicians." The list, in alphabetical order, includes:

1. Senator Christopher Dodd (D-CT): This marks two years in a row for Senator Dodd, who made the 2008 "Ten Most Corrupt" list for his corrupt relationship with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and for accepting preferential treatment and loan terms from Countrywide Financial, a scandal which still dogs him. In 2009, the scandals kept coming for the Connecticut Democrat. In 2009, Judicial Watch filed a Senate ethics complaint against Dodd for undervaluing a property he owns in Ireland on his Senate Financial Disclosure forms. Judicial Watch's complaint forced Dodd to amend the forms. However, press reports suggest the property to this day remains undervalued. Judicial Watch also alleges in the complaint that Dodd obtained a sweetheart deal for the property in exchange for his assistance in obtaining a presidential pardon (during the Clinton administration) and other favors for a long-time friend and business associate. The false financial disclosure forms were part of the cover-up. Dodd remains the head the Senate Banking Committee.

2. Senator John Ensign (R-NV): A number of scandals popped up in 2009 involving public officials who conducted illicit affairs, and then attempted to cover them up with hush payments and favors, an obvious abuse of power. The year's worst offender might just be Nevada Republican Senator John Ensign. Ensign admitted in June to an extramarital affair with the wife of one of his staff members, who then allegedly obtained special favors from the Nevada Republican in exchange for his silence. According to The New York Times: "The Justice Department and the Senate Ethics Committee are expected to conduct preliminary inquiries into whether Senator John Ensign violated federal law or ethics rules as part of an effort to conceal an affair with the wife of an aide" The former staffer, Douglas Hampton, began to lobby Mr. Ensign's office immediately upon leaving his congressional job, despite the fact that he was subject to a one-year lobbying ban. Ensign seems to have ignored the law and allowed Hampton lobbying access to his office as a payment for his silence about the affair. (These are potentially criminal offenses.) It looks as if Ensign misused his public office (and taxpayer resources) to cover up his sexual shenanigans.

3. Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA): Judicial Watch is investigating a $12 million TARP cash injection provided to the Boston-based OneUnited Bank at the urging of Massachusetts Rep. Barney Frank. As reported in the January 22, 2009, edition of the Wall Street Journal, the Treasury Department indicated it would only provide funds to healthy banks to jump-start lending. Not only was OneUnited Bank in massive financial turmoil, but it was also "under attack from its regulators for allegations of poor lending practices and executive-pay abuses, including owning a Porsche for its executives' use." Rep. Frank admitted he spoke to a "federal regulator," and Treasury granted the funds. (The bank continues to flounder despite Frank's intervention for federal dollars.) Moreover, Judicial Watch uncovered documents in 2009 that showed that members of Congress for years were aware that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were playing fast and loose with accounting issues, risk assessment issues and executive compensation issues, even as liberals led by Rep. Frank continued to block attempts to rein in the two Government Sponsored Enterprises (GSEs). For example, during a hearing on September 10, 2003, before the House Committee on Financial Services considering a Bush administration proposal to

Somehow the words conservative and non-partisan do not go well together. I took a look at the web site and was willing to give some believe that they had no agenda, even though nine of the ten most wanted are democrats. When I saw they were representing "Joe the Plumber" they lost the credibility for non-partisan. With all the lucre flying around, it would stand to reason that more then one republican would have the same level of corruption as these top ten.

If Judicial Watch has all this evidence then please, work to get indictments, bring these people to justice and stop wasting time on Joe the plumber. However, if all you have is innuendo, conspiracy theories, rumors, and circumstantial evidence then please Shut The Fuck Up. Accusing my neighbor of being an extraterrestrial means nothing unless I got a picture of him or her climbing into a spaceship. Barring evidence I would be considered a loon and crazy. Currently, the conservative, non-partisan education foundation looks like the crazy neighbor...prove it, in court.

(God I am so sick of this shit. From Rush, to Glenn, to who on the left...making shit up and spewing it out makes for bad entertainment and clouds any chance to attempts to find out the real truth)

From Rush, to Glenn...making shit up and spewing it out makes for bad entertainment...

One good thing is that their ratings numbers are going down as their original fan base gets old and dies off. Their shtick is too boring for long-term consumption by any but total mouth-breathers and certainly too long-winded for a modern audience. People who listen to talk radio idiots for any length of time do it only out of force of habit - if they get distracted by anyone/anything else, it's goodbye. Really, what of

What is the MPAA's definition of "traffic" exactly? I mean, one could argue that making available a link to a torrent of a movie is merely providing a service to those who would like to backup their movie collections. It's not the Pirate Bay or whichever site the kids are using now that's responsible for the use that people make of their service.

There's a lot of PDF books to download and nobody's going against the libraries for providing free books that people can scan.

In the Bulletin, it states that "If Senators want to engage in negotiations or make any arrangements for jobs involving lobbying, they must wait to do so until their successors have been elected. There are no exceptions to this rule... What about for other types of private employment that don’t involve lobbying? The samerule applies unless the Senator files a signed statement with the Secretary of the Senate within three days of beginning such negotiations or arrangements. This statement, which is public, must include the name of the entities involved in these job discussions and the date they began."

Also, "For two years after leaving office, Senators cannot contact any Member, officer, or employee of the Congress on someone else’s behalf (except the United States) in order to influence their official activities."

In the memo, it reiterates the first item, stating that official notice must be given to the secretary of the senate. Of course, there is no nice web searchable index that I found for the Secretary of the Senate [senate.gov] or the Office of Public Records [senate.gov]. Those might require FOIA requests from anyone who would care to really dig.

He's been free and clear to perform his job search since Nov. 2nd of last year. It says when his replacement is "elected" not "enters office". He just can't directly lobby anyone for 2 years. But hey, if one of his old senate buddies wants to have him over for a BBQ.... that's fine and dandy.